Broken Flowers
by Sunnyspider
Summary: Rock Lee and Sakura Haruno, you'd be hard-pressed to find more innocent and... youthfull teens in all of Konoha. Until now. Both characters face an emotionally shattering situation. Can they pick up the pieces and fix their fates? Lee/Saku.
1. Ichi

**This is my first story on fanfiction soooo yeah. I'm grateful to you for reading this, and I hope I'm not wasting your time.**

* * *

Sakura's breath turned to fog as soon as it left her mouth. The sweat from a hard training day with Tsunade made the cold wind almost unbearable, her pace quickened and she was soon at her apartment door. When she got indoors a wave of heat caressed her body and the slight pink tinge on her cheeks disappeared. Sakura felt an urge to step lightly so as not to disturb the silence, which she suppressed when she reached her room. The door said 121 in brass numbers and made a slight creaking noise when she pushed it open. Immediately after closing it shut she headed towards the bathroom, and by the time she was at the shower she was wearing nothing but her running bra.

* * *

Steam spread into the room like spider webs when she opened the bathroom door. A towel covered her body and she was contemplating whether to just fall onto her bed and pass out or change into her pajamas. A movement caught her eye and her fists were almost instantly charged with chakra. Her pulse increased with adrenelin. "I see you finally noticed me, I was just about to start jumping up and down."

Sakura's eyes widened at the voice, she did not need to turn on the light to know who it was. She reached for the switch anyways, right before she touched it a strong hand grabbed hers. "How did you-" she started but was cut off, "Get over here so quickly? Well I have learned a few things these few years I've been away."

He moved a little closer and from what she could see in the dark his face grew more serious. "Sakura, did you mean it that night when you told me you loved me? Or was it just an attempt to get me to stay?" Sakura's face heated and Sasuke couldn't tell whether it was anger or a blush, he hoped for both their sakes it was a blush. She looked down and said quietly, "Of course I meant it, I always loved you."

Suddenly she scowled, "How could you! You just got up and left! And for a man who tried to wipeout this entire village, did you know he murdered the Hokage! The Hokage! How could you do something -" Sasuke cut her off with a kiss, to which she responded by lifting her hand onto his chest and pushing to create some distance. He wouldn't budge, even after she used chakra. Sasuke kept a close and firm stance. "Please listen to me Sakura." He breathed into her neck, "Do you remember what my goals were? Both of them?" Of course she knew them, she could say them backwards and forwards, this was the man she had been in love with her entire life. She grit her teeth, now he was trying to change the conversation?

Her gaze shifted back onto his, "Yes, I remember." Sasuke walked slowly toward the bedside and sat down, he motioned her to join him. She sat down heavily feeling angry. She glared at her white carpet, how could she look this man in the eyes? After all he had done. After all he hadn't done.

She noticed she was still in a towel and her face grew red. "What's all this about anyways? Do you know how long we've been trying to find you?" He sighed "If you let me I'll explain everything later. I need you to help me with my second goal Sakura and if you ever really loved me then I know you will."

She looked at him so quickly he vaguely wondered if she got motion sickness. Her eyes were sharp with realization and she stood up and backed away. "Y-You don't mean-" Sasuke stood up also, "That's exactly what I mean, I'll be leaving to fight Itachi soon and I want to know I won't be last of the Uchihas. I obviously can't revive my clan on my own or I already would have, I need your help Sakura. Please."

He took a small step closer and she took a large step back. "Sasuke, I can't, I'm not ready for that yet, I can't be a mother. And-" Sakura babbled any excuse that came to her mind. The dark haired man frowned and his brow lowered. He pulled something shiny out of his pocket, "I thought you might say that, so I was prepared." When he looked back up his eyes were glowing red and before Sakura could look away she was caught in his illusion. The moonlit room slowly faded away.

A voice echoed around her as if there were speakers contained in every inch of space, it was Sasuke's voice. The room was pure white and Sakura felt as if she was losing her mind. _**I always plan ahead, and I knew there was a chance you would say no. That's why I brought chakra blocking handcuffs. Word of you're strength has spread around a bit. Don't look so surprised; it's good to see you've learned to fight, instead of just depending on Naruto to save you. **_She glared up into an endless void "Don't do this Sasuke, please don't do this!"

Laughter filled the void she was incased in, _**I thought you **__**loved**__** me Sakura; I had hoped you still did, It would had made things better for both of us.**_

Everything faded slowly back into reality. Her ankles and wrists were chained to the corners of the bed and her towel was gone. Sasuke was looking down at her like a carpenter would look at a handsaw, just another tool for him to complete his task. His eyes were dark and emotionless.

Sakura tried to charge her fist and failed, she lashed out with everything she had anyways. Sasuke didn't flinch when she sent her fist flying toward his head, even when her hand stopped mere inches away; he was confident in the restraints. He didn't even flinch when the blood from the metal cutting into her skin started to trickle slowly down her arm. He did, however, flinch when she stopped trying to escape and lay there panting, her chest moved slowly up and down. One tear overflowed and lingered on her cheekbone before dripping onto the sheets, and he knew she knew she wasn't going to get away. The scene made Sasuke want to run far from Konoha and pretend this never happened, but he had a mission that needed to be completed. He wiped some sweat from his brow and untied his belt. Sakura shut her eyes.

* * *

Lee held a bouquet of flowers; cherry blossoms and lotuses. He was going over to the most beautiful woman in the world's house. Sakura Haruno, he had loved her since he had first laid eyes on her and knew he always would. The wind howled it's longing for the trees and he zipped his jacket up a little higher.

He hummed a song that had been stuck in his head for weeks and walked into the apartments. When he reached room 121 he raised his fist to knock. Right before it connected to the door a dark haired man stepped out. Lee dropped the flowers in surprise and they fell onto the ground. Sasuke barely glanced at him while he walked by.

When he turned to go down the hall a crunching noise touched Lee's ears, but he barely heard it; _how could this man be back in Konoha undetected? He's a missing nin_. Sasuke proceeded down the stairs as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred. Lee looked down at the crippled cherry blossoms and thought to himself a bit absentmindedly _He crushed the flowers. _

A muffled noise came from the room. It was more than enough to pull Lee from his trance. _Sakura was in there! With a missing nin, what if she's hurt?_ He pushed the door open quickly. Sakura was on the far corner of her bed, head in her knees. A blanket was pulled up to her shoulders. "S-Sakura? Are you okay?" She responded with a sob and didn't look up.

Lee's features grew angry with apprehension. _I'm going to kill him!_ He turned out of the room and nearly flew down the stairs. Everything Lee saw was tainted red and his blood hammered in his veins. The next thing he knew he was outside, not even the icy wind could cool down his rage. Sasuke was only a few paces away, his back was turned; all it would take was one correctly aimed kick and- Sasuke turned around. In all of his fury Lee didn't have time to look down before he was caught in his vision.

**So, it's Rock Lee. If I remember correctly I owe you for that fight at the exams. **Lee's muscles tightened with pain when a mental sword ripped open his side. He looked down and saw that he had taken no wound.

**Surprising isn't it? All that pain and not even a scratch. When all this is over; about a year from now for you, fifteen minuets for me, you would normally feel a little tired and maybe even sore. **Another sword slashed across his chest and Lee bit his tongue to not cry out.

**But I want to give you something that will last forever, you've been oblivious to the real world for quite a while and it was time to drop that innocent disposition long ago. Tell me Lee; do you still love Sakura Haruno? **Lee shouted defiantly and waited for the next wave of pain, "I'll always love her!"

**You're foolish Lee. No man can love without knowing what it's like to suffer. Without pain you cannot possibly grasp the entire emotion. But it's nothing I can't help you with. **

This time it was two swords, they crossed directly through his heart. Lee clutched his chest and breathed deeply, "What would you ever know about love? How could a man with such a thirst for power even begin? How can you, as an outlaw who pushed his entire village aside for a minor taste of temptation criticize me about what it is to be in love!"

**You see Lee; you've already found the answer. I have found love. I've found a love for power. A love of becoming stronger everyday and it means more to me than any human could. Human lives can easily end, but power lasts as long as I do. **Lee glared, "Then your power will not last much longer." He did shout out this time, when at least five swords crisscrossed through his torso.

**You're obviously in no position to be making threats Lee. As I was saying, I know you have a minor 'infatuation' for my ex-teammate; and I thought I would help you become a little more intelligent on the cruelty of the world. **

"Leave Sakura alone! I swear if you hurt her I'll-." Pain.

**You'll what? Kill me? **

Lee's head was down in a glower, looking towards a ground that wasn't really a ground, more like an endless space.

**Don't worry about that, I wouldn't want to hurt a soon to be mother. **Lee looked back up, "You don't mean-argh!" Another sword. **Don't interrupt me, drop out. Over the next twelve months you will think, feel, and know ****exactly**** what I mean. You will be able to say the chain of events backwards and forwards precisely as they happened.**

* * *

Suddenly the void changed from white to black. A door creaked and the room was illuminated. It was Sakura's apartment. She walked in coolly and closed the door behind her. Lee said something and she obviously didn't hear him, he knew he was in an illusion. He watched as she slowly took off her clothes and walked towards her bathroom. Lee tried to close his eyes to protect her modesty but found he could not; he might as well of had no eyelids at all.

He tried to turn away instead and found he could not move. Lee thought he heard Sasuke's laughter in the far off distance. He saw her hips sway smoothly as she walked, the sheen of sweat on her curves glistened in the moonlight from the window. Lee's heart pounded as if he had ran four hundred miles without breathing. When she reached the bathroom she took her hair out of her ponytail then used both hands to scrunch it up. Her back arched in a graceful stretch, and Lee wondered if she always acted so seductive in her alone time. She disappeared into the next room and he took a deep breath to calm himself. Something caught his eye; it was Sasuke on the armchair. His shoulders were hunched like a predator. His eyes fell upon Lee, they held a dangerous glint. "Enjoying yourself?" Sasuke asked. He looked away again and left Lee a little confused. Had he said that to him now or had he known this would happen then?

Sakura came back out of the shower with a pink towel wrapped around her. Lee saw Sasuke stand up, he moved quickly before she turned on the light. Time flashed past the conversation, he saw Sasuke kiss her and he saw Sakura push him away. Time flashed again and he saw Sakura faint, Sasuke picked her up gently and laid her onto the bed. Lee's heart started to hammer again, this time it was with a feeling of guilt and disgust.

Sasuke started chaining her arms and legs to the bedposts then removed the towel. Lee fought vigourisly to turn away, he knew what would happen next and he knew he wouldn't be able to handle it. It was no use. Her eyes slowly opened. Time flash by again with Sakura struggling and Sasuke acting as if he had all the time in the world. Lee wanted to grab Sasuke by the neck and beat his face until there was nothing left. Lots of time flashed until he saw Sakura accept defeat and close her eyes. Tears fell freely from Lee's face and he shouted at Sasuke until his voice grew hoarse. Sasuke thrust and Sakura whimpered. "Stop! You sick bastard! What the hell is wrong with you?" Lee shouted and fell to his knees. "Please stop!" For the first time in his life Rock Lee had truly known what it was to suffer.

Everything rewinded.

Everytime it repeated itself Lee saw more detail.

The smell of Sakura's perfume.

The white flags in her eyes.

Pink hair lying loose against the pillows.

Sasuke's breif moment of hessitation.

The sound of chains beating the wood.

* * *

Lee's body hit the ice-covered concrete in front of the apartment. How many times had he watched it? Millions at the least. He felt warm blood trickle out of the back of his head then freeze onto the ground. His mind felt like it was floating away from his body. _Sakura. Where is she now? She needs me; I need her to be okay_. But Lee knew things would never be okay, he would never forget and she would never forget.

_Sasuke. _The name struck a nerve. Lee stood up, shortly forgetting about his dreariness and the blood dripping from the back of his head, Sasuke would die. Pain coursed through his abdomen. He was back on the ground Sasuke stood over him, one foot was standing on each of his wrists. "You're weak. Get stronger if you want revenge. Right now you wouldn't stand a chance." Lee tried to move his arms but could not, he had never felt so weak in his life.

"We're even now. Take care of Sakura for me." Sasuke's smirk made a new demon arise in Lee's chest.

* * *

I hope you thought this was okay, please reveiw whether it's constructive critism or praise or both : ) I hope I didn't offend anybody with this, I know it's kind of intense, I've just had it in my head for a long time and I need to write it down. Um, I have finals coming up soon so if anyone likes this and wants it to keep going tell me and i'll try to fit it in. Thanks!


	2. Ni

**Your still reading this? Thanks :)

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**

Lee's body hit the ice-covered concrete in front of the apartment. How many times had he watched it? Millions at the least. He felt warm blood trickle out of the back of his head then freeze onto the ground. His mind felt like it was floating away from his body. _Sakura. Where is she now? She needs me; I need her to be okay_. But Lee knew things would never be okay, he would never forget and she would never forget.

_Sasuke. _The name struck a nerve. Lee stood up, shortly forgetting about his dreariness and the blood dripping from the back of his head, Sasuke would die. Pain coursed through his abdomen.

He was back on the ground Sasuke stood over him, one foot was standing on each of his wrists. "You're weak, get stronger if you want revenge. Right now you wouldn't stand a chance." Lee tried to move his arms but could not, he was the weakest than he had ever been before. "We're even now, take care of Sakura."

* * *

Lee had lost the strength to stand but his will to be with Sakura still burned with an infinite intensity. He dragged himself to the door and used it to stand up. Then ran his fingers over the wound on the back of his head. He grabbed the door handle and twisted until it clicked. Lee limped his way to the staircase unaware of the bloody handprint dripping down the doorknob. 

Everything in his vision was blurred, smudged, and tainted a shade of gray. The Uchiha had messed with his brain. The stairs had an unreal quality to them, like somebody had painted them on the wall. Lee tested a foot on the first step then leaned heavily onto the railing. _One step down, _they looked like they went on forever. Last time he checked there were possibly twenty-five steps, maybe thirty, but this was insane. _I'm insane,_ Lee thought to himself bitterly and with an incredible effort managed to take the next step.

When he was half way up the rest of the steps seemed to suddenly disappear, along with the railing. Lee fell onto the brown-carpeted floor with a dull thud, _why are these hallways so quiet?_ It smelled like mothballs and cheap air freshener.

He dragged himself passed room 118, room 119, and room 120. When he was finally at room 121 he noticed the door was slightly ajar. Raising his hand, he pushed it open and forced his aching body to stand.

He scanned the room for Sakura, _Why is it so dark in here? How am I supposed to find where she is if I can't see anything. _Lee felt the wall for a light switch. His hand hit it and he flicked it on. Nothing. The room was still pitch black.

"Sakura?" His voice quavered. He heard a sharp gasp and footsteps. "Lee! What happened? You look terrible!" It was Sakura; he wished he could see her. He needed to know she was okay. Hands grabbed his and suddenly the support of the wall was gone. Sakura was the only thing holding him up.

_She's all right. Thank every good thing left in the world; she's all right. _"Sakura. Are you okay?" If a desert could speak it would sound similar to his voice right now. "Lee, I-I think so. But you need to get to a healer." His brain seemed like it was slowly fading away. She gently laid him out onto the floor of the apartment. "Why did you turn the light off Lee?" _I didn't turn off the light,_ Lee thought to himself and passed out.

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**Please read and review, i'll try to update soon. I think I might write a Bleach fanfic sometime in the near future also. If you have any mad writing tips or ideas you want to give me that'd be highly appriciated :P.**


	3. San

Beep

Beep

Beep

The high pitch noise resounded off the walls of his skull. Something besides the smell of soap and antiseptic tickled his nose, he felt it weakly with his fingertips. He must have been hooked up to an oxygen tank. Lee didn't think he needed it; he had only passed out. Why had he passed out anyways? He was really tired. He could think about it later.

"-Nothing more we can do." A chair scraped the floor and somebody sat down heavily.

"-Please get better Lee." Sniffles. Sobs. Lee felt somebody leaning across his chest; like some type of romance novel. He hoped it was Sakura.

Sakura! Things crammed their way back into his mind, little details that struck his brain like lightning. How long had he been unconscious? How long had that bastard been walking without a care in the world? The demon inside of him was awake; and like Lee, it wasn't going to sleep until it made Sasuke pay. He clenched his fists.

The pressure on his chest disappeared and the air felt cold on what he was sure were tearstains, "Lee? Are you awake?" It was Sakura's voice. He opened his eyes. What time was it? The room was pitch black and windowless.

"Sakura?" He wished somebody would turn a light on, what kind of hospital left its patients in the dark? He sensed Sakura's movement near the edge of his cot. "I'm right here Lee." Lee pushed himself up onto his elbows. He felt sick, not just physically but it felt like someone had cut away a chunk of his soul.

"Please tell me you can see me Lee." Sakura's voice sounded grieved and weary yet at the same time urgent. How did she expect him to see her when it was so dark? He answered, "What do you mean Sakura?" His mind started to catch on and his eyes widened. "What time is it?" He asked, alarmed.

"It's 1:21 in the evening, and the lights are on. Please tell me you can see me!" Her voice sounded desperate now. Her breathing was the disjointed breathing of a girl about to cry. It was agonizing to hear but in a strange way he was thrilled to know she cared that much.

He wanted to tell her he could see her clearer then daylight. He wanted to tell her anything to make her happy, but he would never lie to her, and she's definitely experienced worse before. Lee could not see her. "I'm sorry Sakura."

Sakura said in a quiet voice, " No, I'm sorry Lee. Tsunade said you might have lost your vision. She said you hit your head hard and you're lucky you didn't die, and you were caught in the sharingan. Do you remember what happened?" Lee would never forget what happened, he shivered and stiffly stated,"Yes. I remember everything. Are you okay?" Sakura leaned on the side of the stiff hospital mattress.

"What do you mean?" Lee would have been angry she was trying to hide it from him had he not have been so concerned. He looked towards the ceiling but his eyes were serious. "Sakura you already know what I mean." Sakura made a strange noise. "S-So you know what happened?" Her voice sounded uncomfortable, "It's no big deal. I'll be-"

Lee couldn't contain himself "It is a big deal Sakura, and when I track him down I'll make him wish he never even met you." The room was silent except for the constant beeping of the heart monitor.

He heard her sniff and wondered if she was crying again. He then wondered if it was possible to run out of tears, one overflowed out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. I said I always would, and I failed."

"Don't be foolish Lee. There's no way you could always be there to save the day." The new voice was firm and confident, there was only one person it could be. Tsunade. By the sound of her footsteps she had just walked in. "Sakura, your results are back. Do you want to talk in private?"

"No thank you Tsunade Sama. I think Lee should know too." Sakura sounded nervous. The beeping of Lee's heart monitor speed up and perspiration formed on his forehead. Why did she want him to know? "Sakura, I understand if you don't want to tell me." Lee could feel her eyes on him and if it was possible the beeping increased. "I want you to know Lee."

Tsunade smiled, "Well apparently Sasuke has an extremely low sperm count, you're not going to give birth to an Uchiha anytime soon." Sakura released a breath she did not know she had been holding. Lee's pulse slowed back to normal.

* * *

**Well there you have it. I promise i'll try to make the next chapter a little less boring. Please reveiw :)**


	4. ShiYon

_"No thank you Tsunade Sama. I think Lee should know too." Sakura sounded nervous. The beeping of Lee's heart monitor speed up and perspiration formed on his forehead. Why did she want him to know? "Sakura, I understand if you don't want to tell me." Lee could feel her eyes on him and if it was possible the beeping increased. "I want you to know Lee."_

_Tsunade smiled, "Well apparently Sasuke has an extremely low sperm count, you're not going to give birth to an Uchiha anytime soon." Sakura released a breath she did not know she had been holding. Lee's pulse slowed back to normal._

* * *

"Well I guess Sasuke doesn't think ahead for _everything_." Lee muttered under his breath, he took it back as soon as the words left his mouth and hoped nobody had heard it. He felt Sakura's eyes on him and tensed with the awkwardness.

"W-Why did you say that Lee?" Sakura stuttered the words out. Lee tried to act natural, tried to calm himself down. His face started to get hot, why would he say that? How could he have been so stupid? Sakura didn't know what he had experienced while trapped in Sasuke's sharinggan and he had hoped she never would. She was still looking at him; he had to say something.

Nothing came to his mind. He didn't have the willpower to lie to Sakura either. The monitor's beeping increased and he wanted to rip the wire off of his body. Beep. Beep. Beep. The noise was wiped out by his real heartbeat loud in his ears. _Damn it! Say something already! Anything! _

"Say what?" Lee had tried his best to keep his voice relaxed. Sakura's response was quiet, but so was everything else in the room, "How did you know he said that?"

Lee panicked; the only way out was to tell the truth. He took a deep breath and began explaining himself.

"-Then I woke up here." Somewhere along the story Sakura had clenched her fists. He could tell she wanted to strangle somebody. Lee waited for her to begin shouting at him… but she never did. "That bastard! How could anyone be so sick!" She said mostly to herself.

Lee wished he could go back in time and have another chance at fighting Sasuke. He wouldn't have rushed so much; he should've come up with a plan. He inhaled slowly, he was going to kill Sasuke or die trying. His thoughts went back to Sakura. She was so gorgeous. She probably would never want to talk to him again after this, he felt sick to his stomach.

" I'm sorry Lee, I'm not mad at you at all, it's just-" Sakura didn't know how to finish her sentence, "I need to go."

Lee heard Sakura's footsteps and knew she was leaving the room, he had to strain his ears; he was sure she used to step louder. Tsunade sighed; Lee just remembered she was still there.

"Lee, about your loss of vision, you hit a certain part of your brain that controls your sight. I already fixed that problem. However, your brain was jumbled by extensive use of the sharinggan. How long exactly were you in the trance?" Tsunade's chair squeaked and Lee knew she was leaning back. How could she be acting so calm? This was a serious subject.

"About fifteen minuets." Tsunade was stunned. Only fifteen minuets? Something triggered in her mind and she let out a small chuckle, "Sorry, I meant how long your mind was in the trance." Lee told her, "About a year." His answer must have shocked Tsunade because she gasped so sharply you could have pierced steel.

"A year! An entire year?" Tsunade exclaimed. Lee wore a puzzled expression. "What's so strange about that?" Tsunade just sat there and stared in awe until Lee felt uneasy, "Something tells me you're unaware that nobody has ever survived the sharinggan for more than four months and three days. No Uchiha has even attempted more than seven!"

Lee groaned and sat up to lean against the wall, "Great, I'm glad I could help set a new record." He felt tired again but he didn't want to sleep. He wanted to train and get stronger. He needed to train and get stronger.

"This missing ninja, Sasuke, must be extremely strong, possibly the strongest ever to be born into the Uchiha clan. I may need to send multiple teams to take him down." Lee started to get excited, "I want to be on one of those teams. Please." He tried to look as tough as possible.

Tsunade just sighed and said, "Lee look at you, you're injured and you should know by now what happens to people who only think about revenge."

A look of rage marred Lee's features so intensely Tsunade almost fell out of her chair. Lee's voice was low and grainy, "I will never become like him!" His jaws were locked tightly together, a muscle twitched in his cheek. Normally Tsunade would have hit him upside the head quite hard but since he had just experienced one of the cruelest tortures existing in the world today, she let it slide. Instead she changed the conversation to one that might actually help him.

"I've already informed your sensei, Gai, that you can no longer accept missions until you regain your vision." Tsunade waited for Lee to say something, but he didn't.

"Listen, the only thing stopping your sight now is you. Sometimes when people are scarred deeply their mind shuts itself off as a defense mechanism, in your case it only shut off the vision area. In other words you have to have an extremely strong urge to regain your vision in order for it to kick itself back on."

Lee took it all in. He really did want to see again. Was he really the only thing stopping himself? He knew Tsunade wouldn't lie to him but he already wanted to see again, how much more could it take?

"Try to think of regaining your sight as training." Tsunade left and Lee hoped she was going to comfort Sakura, she had sounded furious.

* * *

After being released from the hospital, Lee sat alone in his room for hours. He focused on trying to see his bedroom wall clearly. Sometimes it flashed a blurred whitened outline, but even that lasted no longer then a minuet. Sakura hasn't even tried to talk to him since.

His vision wasn't the only thing dark, it felt like his entire outlook on life was dark, like a shadow hung over every one of his thoughts. When he wasn't thinking about Sakura he was thinking he should be out training.

* * *

Okay so this chapter was a bit boring... sorry 'bout that. In the next chapter Lee's going to get an expert psychologist with extraordinary vision (A.K.A. Hyuuga) to help him with his training... reveiws keep me working by the way :p...


	5. Go

Disclaimer:Only gonna say this once, i don't own Naruto :)

* * *

Sakura Haruno tried to live her life normally. She studied medical ninjutsu with Ino. She completed missions with Naruto, sometimes Kakashi tagged along. She even trained daily with Tsunade, but something felt wrong. She felt lost. She used to think girls who didn't say anything after it was all over were weak, that they should have an urge for justice and try their hardest to catch the bastard who did it to them. Her mind had been changed. How could she have ever fallen for him? Was it her fault for telling Sasuke her feelings all those years ago? No. It was stupid to blame herself. She was a strong and independent woman. She _was_ a strong and independent woman. Would she have told anyone if Lee hadn't been critically injured? If women who didn't say anything were weak, then she was a coward.

Sakura Haruno tried to live her life normally. And she failed miserably. She walked home an hour before dark. She avoided looking at herself in the mirror. She took showers in under ten minuets. She flicked the lights on quickly. She even cried herself to sleep at night.

The old Sakura Haruno had been broken. Replaced by shadow of what she once was.

* * *

When was the last time she had talked to Lee? Maybe a couple weeks ago? Her embarrassment still clawed at her like it had taken place this very morning. He knew everything that happened. He used to think she was so strong, what did he think about her now? She didn't even put up a fight. She struggled, but in the end it was futile. She knew it would be futile from the beginning. Sakura rubbed the bandages on her wrists, since the handcuffs blocked her chakra for the rest of that night she had had to heal them naturally. She thought about all Lee's pledges and oaths to keep her safe, and how she rejected them every time. She remembered first seeing him in his silly green jumpsuit with his bushy eyebrows and unattractive haircut. She had judged him right off the bat.

He was just another loser trying to get a girlfriend; she was much better than him. She had been so wrong. But then again, so had he. Right off of the bat he had judged her as this beautiful, courageous, woman. He hadn't even known her for five minuets before he told her he loved her. She used to wish she were everything he thought she was, but now he knew her for what she truly was. Worthless.

Look at her, it was ridiculous, racked in self-pity and barred off from the world in her apartment. She wanted to cry, so she did. Some people say crying helps, that it lets you release all of your sadness and pain. It never helped her; she wanted to slap herself in the face until she got over it. It wasn't that big of a deal, somewhere people were dying. Sakura grit her teeth, somewhere happy families were laughing; somewhere Sasuke was walking around guiltless and plotting to fulfill his 'destiny'. She released a sob. She was so sick of destiny.

* * *

Lee was finally pulled out of his thoughts on Sakura when a knocking filled his apartment. He stood up and blindly made his way to the door. He was feeling things he had never even noticed before. The carpet was soft against his bare feet and he slid his hand against the textured walls. When he inhaled the fresh air it felt cool against his moist lips. The metallic noise of his hand grabbing the door handle rang short and clear in his ears. He opened the door.

"Hello Lee." Gai's voice was unmistakable. Lee couldn't help but smile; he hadn't talked to his sensei for weeks. He hadn't really talked to anyone for weeks now that he thought of it, his smile slowly faded.

"What's with the unhappy face? I thought you'd be happy to see-" Gai stopped and cleared his throat, "Uhh...err... Be with me." Lee pretended to not hear his mistake and put on a false smile. He actually felt a little depressed Gai hadn't visited sooner.

"Hello Gai Sensei!" Lee shouted in his façade, no need to make him feel bad. He felt a strong hand rest on his shoulder. "Lee we need to talk. Can I come in?"

Gai spoke somberly, instead of his usual enthusiastic tone. Lee let him in immediately and they sat down at the kitchen table. He felt Gai's eyes boring into his from the seat across him; he tried to break the tension.

"So what did you want to talk about?" _Why is Gai being so serious? This isn't like him at all. _Gai swallowed, "Lee I know you were trapped inside the sharinggan for twelve months." Lee's eyes briefly widened, he quickly regained composure. _He never said he knew what I __saw_ _while in the jutsu._

"I've been informed of what you experienced by Tsunade, she wanted me to understand what kind of psychological stress you may be under." Lee nodded and tried to hide his clenched fists in his lap; he hadn't wanted Gai, or anyone, to know about it, but he understood why his sensei would need to know.

He already knew what was coming next, the most awkward and overused phase in the history of awkward overused phrases.

"If you want to talk about it, I'll always be here."

Lee sighed. _I knew it. _"Thanks, I appreciate it; but I really don't feel in the mood right now."

Gai shrugged and did something funny with his lower lip, "Okay, if you feel that way." The way he said it told Lee he hadn't really wanted to talk about it either. "Has your vision been improving at all?"

Lee grunted and scratched his neck, "No. I mean, sometimes I can see blurry outlines but other then that… nothing." Gai leaned onto the table heavily, "You need to get better Lee, our team needs you. We miss you." It sounded like he was talking to a terminally ill patient at a hospital, lee's muscles stiffened. He wasn't hopeless; he would definitely recover from this.

"I will." He told his sensei firmly. "It's not like I haven't been trying." Lee was feeling a bit agitated. "I'm just not making any progress. I really do want to see again, and I miss being a ninja." He raised his hands to the sides of his head.

Gai's face cracked into a smile, "That's why I've arranged for somebody to help you." Lee responded with a puzzled look.

* * *

A few days later...

Cold drool rolled thickly out of the side of his mouth and onto his pillowcase. He experienced the strange sensation of experiencing multiple sensations. His exposed face was chilled with the frigid air constantly cycling the room. With every breath his lungs were iced. Yet, adding a complexity of temperatures to the feeling, his body was warm and snug under a mass of ruffled blankets. Lee yawned and dragged a hand across his mouth, he must have left the window open again.

Had it been yesterday he would have just sunken deeper into his plush fortress, avoiding the cold. Of course today was today, therefore not yesterday and he forced himself to fully rejoin the world of the living. Today was the day he would begin training again with his life rival. Neji Hyuuga.

He was told it wouldn't be a competitive fight like usual, instead Neji would be using his Byakugan to figure out exactly how to proceed in reviving his sight. In other words he would be acting as a psychiatrist, his job would be to make sure Lee hasn't lost his mind enough to be forcefully retired as a Konoha ninja.

Lee walked into his bathroom and tiredly grabbed a toothbrush. He turned on the water, the iron faucet squeaked when he twisted it. He scrubbed at his teeth for about two minuets. Toothpaste, when he thought about it, really tasted quite disgusting. Lee spit the remenents of a grainy blue glob into the sink. He turned toward the shower and took off his boxers, when he stepped into it the cold, stiff, air soon disappeared in a surge of welcomed steam.

* * *

He pulled on a jacket and some jeans randomly sticking out of his dresser. Lee vaguely wondered if his outfit matched, he honestly wouldn't know the difference so he didn't pay it much mind. He yawned and stretched his arms wide into the air above his head. Today was going to be a good day, he told himself, today he was going to actually start training again. He was finally going to get closer to catching Sasuke. If he had to train until his limbs fell off he would do it, just to get a mere sighting of the black haired bastard.

Lee scratched his cheek on the way out of his apartment. He felt small prickly hairs against the tips of his fingers. He didn't dare shave until his vision was back. He imagined himself blindly scraping away with the steel blade and flinched. The imaginary Lee also flinched and that was somehow enough to gouge his throat out. The imaginary Lee disappeared in a twitching bloody heap.

No, he didn't think he would be shaving again for a while. Lee walked into the blinding sunlight, not that he could see it. The wind whipped his hair around and he started to become annoyed, it kept getting into his eyes. He continued like this for a time, battling with the wind and the cold and trying to make his way down the street.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks. How was he going to find Neji's house? He probably couldn't even find his way back to his own house from here. He almost laughed at the irony; he finally needed to be strong for something other then himself and he was the weakest he'd ever been in his entire life. Lee couldn't even make it around his hometown, the town where he had been raised, without getting lost. Somebody shoved his shoulder as they brushed by and he fought the urge to randomly strike out for them.

"Either keep walking or get out of my way! Frick'in teenagers." a man muttered as he strut past. Lee bit his tongue. Calm down, he told himself; it's just an idiot.

Lee heard his footsteps and many others as he advanced on his blind quest to locate Hyuuga Manner. Right now he had absolutely no hope he would find it. He was actually just praying that he would run into somebody he knew who could help him out.

Of course, he hadn't meant that as literally as it had happened. A small frame almost knocked him over, in fact it did. He heard a gasp and pressure pushed down on top of his chest as he fell to the ground. The wind was momentarily knocked out of him when his back made contact with the cement sidewalk. Lee coughed and tried to get his breath back. His lungs felt like they would never again take in oxygen. Just as Lee felt he was on the brink of suffication his lungs seemed to spring back into gear. With his first desperate breath he caught a whiff of perfume and knew immediately who had fallen onto him.

In his year in the sharringan he had involuntarily memorized the exact smell. It was Sakura. He felt her tense and quiver slightly on top of him; as if she was afraid he was going to retaliate, then she quickly scrambled to get up. A small part of him wanted to pull her down so they could just lie like that forever. He tensed his chest when she used it as a brace for her hands to help herself stand.

"S-sorry." He heard a mumble when he had gotten back on his feet. Did she even recognize him? It almost hurt that she didn't greet him, his heart started to ache. "It's okay." was his auto response. She inhaled sharply; it must have been his voice. "Lee? Is that you?" Half of Lee's mind was wanted to say, 'finally it's about time you realized I was here!' And the other half was wondering why she seemed so surprised.

"Yes, of course it's me Sakura. What's wrong?" He felt a stare, and he pictured Sakura's intense jade eyes looking at him. Lee gulped, even in his head it was unnerving. He felt his muscles stiffen with the awkwardness of it all. "How did you know it was me?" Sakura questioned. Lee thought about how creepy it would sound if he said 'because of your perfume', but forgive him if he had problems with lying to the love of his life. "Your perfume, I notice a lot more things now that I can't see." That wasn't exactly a lie.

Back to the awkwardness. He almost flinched when he felt gentle fingertips slid slowly across his jaw. They were soft on his now rough face, like ocean waves scraping against the shore.

Sakura drew her hand back quickly when she realized what she was doing. "Since when did you grow hair on your face?" She asked, obviously bewildered. Was this a serious question? He was eighteen years old; he had been shaving for years. "A while. Where are you heading to?" Maybe she could show him how to get to Neji's house. He fought his urge to shout out his love for her. He had mentally grown a bit since their first meeting and he now knew most girls wouldn't respond positively when that statement was just randomly thrown out to them. How would this sound? 'So where are you heading to? Iloveyou.' Yeah, that would probably work. Not.

Sakura couldn't get over how much more mature Lee looked. He wasn't wearing that ugly green bodysuit and he had facial hair for crying out loud! She was in a daze, she saw his lips move but she didn't hear a thing. She had just seen him a couple of weeks ago! She tried to snap herself out of it. This wasn't helping anything and she wanted to finish her training with Tsunade before sundown. He must have asked a question because his expression said he was waiting for an answer. What should she say? She should have listened the first time. She was such an idiot. "What?" She asked, feeling stupid. Lee repeated himself, and Sakura told him she was going to train with the Hokage.

"So where are you heading off to?" It was her turn to get some questions answered. Lee and Sakura continued with this small talk for quite some time. Both seemed intent on making the conversation as little serious as possible.

Somehow along the way Lee had gotten Sakura to direct him to Neji's house. They walked in absolute silence. The absence of noise made Lee want to hold his breath, so as to achieve perfect quiet. Sakura muttered something about taking this next turn. Lee felt Sakura's presence fade and he realized she must have taken another street. He hoped she would notice he was gone, how could she not have? He decided to try turning left and hoped he got lucky. He got a lonely vibe and knew she hadn't turned that way. He turned around completely. Suddenly he felt his stomach rise into his throat, he braced himself as his pulse increased. Fear coursed for a split second through his body and electricity shot through his legs. He had just walked off the curb without knowing it was there.

Sakura was bewildered. Where had Lee gone? He had just suddenly disappeared. Sakura scanned around her for any sign of the black haired teen. People in thick coats shuffled past her quickly. Farmers transported wheat and rice in the slush-covered streets with horses and trailers. Where was he! He wouldn't just leave. She squinted in the blinding sun; the snow only magnified the light. Suddenly she spotted him, right in front of a carriage.

The driver's hat had fallen in his eyes; it was obviously blocking his vision. "Lee look out!" She shouted, it was the first thing that had come into her mind. She started sprinting towards him. He was only twenty feet away, the cart was only fifteen. She ran faster than she had ever run in her entire life. Only ten feet away. "Lee! Get the fuck out of the road!" Sakura had never cussed before. Five feet. The cart was two. She dove for him out of desperation. Her arms wrapped protectively around his chest in mid air. The cart swerved and the wheels cracked. Lee was once again put off his feet for the sake of Sakura.

They landed in a heap on the sidewalk. Their breathing was ragged Lee with shock and Sakura's with adrenaline. Nobody glanced at them, or the cart that had sped off down the road. Suddenly they both broke out laughing. The awkward silence was forever extinguished.

Sakura helped Lee stand up. He brushed himself off. He was still chuckling when Sakura started talking. "That was so scary! I honestly thought you were going to die!" Lee wished he could see the chaotic look on her face; it would probably be hilarious. "C'mon Sakura, I don't die that easily." She giggled. _Wait what? _Lee thought to himself, _did she just giggle?_ "You would have if I didn't save you."

She blushed, "Um Lee?" Lee gave her a puzzled expression, why was she suddenly so quiet? "Hmm?" He asked. "Maybe we should hold hands to make sure we don't get separated again." Lee's face was bright red. He attempted to tell himself it wasn't a big deal. Sakura Haruno just offered to hold his hand. SAKURA HARUNO just offered to hold his hand! Every nerve in his whole body tingled. He suppressed a shout of triumph, "Okay, I mean it sounds like a good plan."

Sakura was surprised, she had asked without even thinking, it seemed to have just flown out of her mouth.

They walked hand in hand to Neji's house talking about random things from training methods to Kakashi's dirty books. Yet, even in this rare moment of happiness there was a black cloud hanging above Sakura and Lee's heads. Both of them felt a small need to be a little withdrawn from the conversation. Lee still felt a dark tug back to reality and as he clasped her warm hand. He felt his anger for Sasuke grow; it felt like it was going to swallow him whole. Anyone who would attempt to destroy this precious person's innocence deserved worse than death.

Images of Sasuke chaining her limp form to the bedposts flashed through his head. Sakura felt Lee's grip tighten and she looked at him questionably, his eyes were filled with pain and distance. The pressure on her hand increased until it started to hurt. A tear spilled out of the corner of his eye, which he quickly wiped away with his free hand. She decided to speak up; he obviously didn't think she was watching him. "What's wrong Lee?" Lee didn't respond. "You're hurting me." His grip stayed the same; he must not have heard her. "Lee. Please stop it." He just kept walking. Something snapped inside her. She felt like she was losing control of the situation. She stopped abruptly and yanked her hand out of his, Lee turned to look at her as if just noticing she was there. "Lee that really hurt." She sounded close to tears. Lee was stricken; did he really hurt her enough to make her cry? He backed a few feet away. His insides hardened with disgrace and he held his head low.

As soon as one tear fell from her eye Sakura knew she was going to start sobbing. They were in an alleyway about two blocks from Neji's house. The gray concrete walls set the stage for an emotional breakdown. Lee stood before her in absolute silence, she felt terrible. She shouldn't have responded like that, it wasn't his fault she was a nutcase. The moment he wouldn't let go she had lost it. After what had happened with Sasuke she never wanted to feel defenseless again, so much that losing control was her biggest fear.

Sakura couldn't resist the urge to bow to an onslaught of tears. She cupped her face into her hands and sobbed. Lee was probably thinking she had absolutely lost it. Her body shook with every cry and she leaned against the wall. Her legs seemed to suddenly lose the ability to stand and she slid to the ground.

She was crying that badly? Lee got an urge to jump off the tallest building in all of Konoha. He hadn't meant to hurt her; he would never intentionally cause her any type of pain. Something told him that she wasn't just crying because of his grip on her hand. He must have done something hurt her emotionally. Lee gulped and walked towards the sobs.

Sakura had completely left the world behind in her meditation of tears. She forgot everything, even why she was crying in the first place. Someone sat down next to her and before she knew it her face was buried in their chest. Strong arms wrapped themselves around her body.

Lee tried to comfort Sakura. Her small body was shaking in his arms; he was surprised she would even let him near her. "I'm sorry Sakura." He murmured into her hair. He was sorry for more than just holding onto to her hand, he was sorry that he didn't protect her that night. Small cold droplets dotted his skin. Water had started falling from the sky in an odd mixture of snow and rain. Sakura slowly stopped her trembling, after what felt like forever her sobs started to subside. Her breathing returned to it's original state and she leaned against the wall instead of his chest. Lee freed her from his protective hold and he too leaned back against the cold brick. Together they sat, Lee thinking about his broken promise and Sakura staring up at the rain/snow.

"I'm sorry." Sakura's breath froze as it left her mouth, "You must think I'm a wimp." Lee looked strait ahead, "Sakura, you're the strongest person I've ever met." She was surprised to find that he didn't even have the hint of a joke in his voice. Her gaze shifted to the icy asphalt. "You don't need to lie to me, I can still take the truth."

Lee turned toward her, "Look at me Sakura." She did, she stared directly into his dark eyes. "I would never, ever, lie to you." He was serious. Sakura flushed under his intense look, even though she knew he couldn't see her. She almost felt… attracted to him. His gaze shifted towards the buildings opposite them. He muttered, "I should have been there, if I would have left just a half an hour earlier. It never would have happened." Sakura knew instantly what she was talking about. "Lee, please don't blame yourself. None of this was your fault, if anyone's it was mine and Sasuke's." Lee sighed and his brow drew together, "It wasn't your fault either Sakura."

She looked at him, it was her fault he was acting like this. She had made him a new person; he no longer looked at things with compassion. Everything that was an obstacle was no longer a challenge; it was something blocking his path. She realized he was as broken as she was.

Maybe it was really him who needed to be comforted. She knew how to comfort a boy, but how did you comfort a man? She reached out and grabbed his hand. Lee's eyes widened with shock but soon relaxed. They listened to the rain soaking their surroundings. It seemed to fall directly from the black clouds that had been hanging over them for weeks, purify everything it touched.

Authors Note

I'm sorry I havent updated sooner and to prove that I just wrote seven pages :) Also, please review! I'll write chapters if you'll write a comment. As for all you people who have already reviewed thanks, and keep them coming! Oh and you dudes who don't even have accounts on this site, thats totally cool too! Welp, thats about it. Thanks for reading!


	6. Roku

Neji's eyes widened in surprise when he opened the door to a drenched Lee and Sakura. Being a blood member of the Hyuga Clan his brain quickly took back over and rationalized the situation. In about two seconds he had regained his cold composure and stood ridged in the doorway.

A man in an uncomfortable looking suit quickly offered the soaking pair a towel and dismissed himself. He scuttled away bowing and scrapping repetitively. Neji moved in a way that suggested they come in; Sakura led Lee into the mansion by their entwined fingers. A quick glance around the barren manor was enough to tell Sakura that Neji was not one for trinkets, or anything at all really. Cold shadowed stonewalls starred blankly from all sides of the entrance chamber. Only one piece of furniture broke the stiff pattern; a sturdy padded bench sat alone in the corner of the room. Sakura got the urge to turn around and walk right back out the way she came in.

"Your late." The simple words pierced straight through the devastating silence, yet only made it worse. Lee scratched the back of his head uneasily, "I am sorry, I happened to get a little-" Sakura cut him off; there was no way she was going to let him take all of the blame. "It was my fault, we were-" As if completing some predestined chain of events Neji cut her off. "I have no intention of hearing your excuses, I was merely stating the obvious." He gave Sakura a look like he had just had anal intercourse with an angry rhinoceros. Sakura backed down and suddenly preferred to examine the floor tiles. She rubbed her hands together in a Hinata-like way. His stiff voice echoed off the walls, "I had no prior knowledge that you were going to bring a friend." He spat the word friend out of his mouth like sour milk. Lee clenched his fists; he already knew Neji had never liked Sakura much, but ladies should never be treated like this. Sakura looked up in time to see Neji's eyes flash in interest; he was clearly looking at Lee's white knuckles, it was either that or the towel being strangled in his left hand, something led her to believe it was the sooner.

She felt the need to provide some intervention before all chaos broke loose. How could Lee put up with this all of the time? The building tension was broken when an exhausted looking ninja appeared in the still open doorway. He perked up when his brown eyes met Sakura's jade ones. "Are you..." He hurriedly checked a small envelope, "Haruno, Sakura?" Sakura nodded and reached out for the packet, "Yes, that's me." Her hand was filled with the parcel and the man left abruptly.

Sakura turned the small package in her palms, examining it. The word 'URGENT' was scrawled hastily onto the brown paper front. She tore it open and pulled out the letter from within. It read:

--

"Sakura Haruno, please come to my office as soon as possible. This matter is of dire importance and requires your immediate attention."

The Fifth Hokage, Tsunade

--

Lee and Neji's eyes had averted their attention to the pink haired medical ninja in interest. She shrugged, "I'd better leave. Goodbye." This last word was more directed towards Lee then Neji, Neji obviously knew this because the word was only echoed back to her once.

Sakura walked warily into the warm, wood-toned office of her sensei. Tsunade sat in her chair stirring a steaming mug of tea with a placate expression on her face. Her features lit up when she noticed Sakura pacing towards her. Tsunade motioned her to take the chair opposite hers. Never breaking eye contact Sakura descended, she didn't want to miss a single detail about her summoning. Tsunade began explaining the situation and Sakura's jaw dropped lower and lower with every passing word. Tsunade tried to give Sakura every detail as slow as possible, trying to allow her some time to breath and soak it all in.

About an hour's passing left Tsunade staring authoritatively at a twitching student. Sakura couldn't grasp it all, was this really a mission?! Is it even legal to order someone to do something like this!? How could she be serious!? Sakura opened her mouth to respond but released an unattractive gurgle. Tsunade almost wanted to laugh, but this was an important matter concerning the health of a patient, and a ninja of Konoha.

Flash Back--

Tsunade looked over the medical reports for this week when suddenly she saw a familiar face. Her eyes scanned the top of the paper; **Rock Lee **was printed over the picture of a deflated looking teenager. The picture must have been taken directly after the injury. Her gaze shifted to the small print directly under the picture '**Disability: 0/20 VISION**" She focused a bit lower, "**Recovery: **" The spot was left blank; it was her job as the head of the medical section to fill it out. Tsunade put her hand to her forehead, closed her eyes, and sighed heavily. Chakra, one word flashed through her mind. Someone was entering the room; she could sense their presence easily. Nothing to worry about, she knew the chakra signal by heart, after all, she had grown up with him.

"Stressful day?" A man asked, seating himself as casually as if he owned the place. Tsunade groaned, "Stressful life." she moved her head lazily to see Jiraiya grinning like an idiot. "What's so funny?" She questioned with a bitter edge to her voice. Jiraiya leaned in a bit and turned her desk calendar around so she could see it. Friday. She had forgotten what day of the week it was. "If memory serves I believe it's your turn to buy the sake." The Hokage looked weakly at the card lying flat on her desk, she would have to think on it.

Jiraiya and Tsunade sat half drunk at a small booth in the far edge of Konoha. Jiraiya's face was the same shade of red as the lantern shades hanging over their heads. "But what can I do to make the boy want to see again?" Tsunade said louder than she had intended. Jiraiya paused from his bellowing laughter in a buzzed state of thought; suddenly he let out a drunken chuckle. "Well I know what I wanted to see more than anything else when I was his age!" Tsunade shot him a glare, "It's different, this boy doesn't think like that. He's not that kind of person." Jiraiya almost giggled, "Oh, so he leans the _other _way? Maybe you should set him up with a guy then-" Tsunade's balled fist connecting with his skull shut him up. "It's not like that! He just isn't as much as a pervert as you are!" The entire sake stand shook with Jiraiya's guttural laughter as he braced himself. Tsunade waited patently.

After what seemed like hours his onslaught of snickers started to die down. "Are you serious! All men that age want that! And if you don't think they do then their acting!" Tsunade gave up, just when she thought there was hope for the world. Maybe Jiraiya was right, even as a girl she had been a little perverted when she was that age. When she was sober she would think about it, but for now… Tsunade grabbed the pitcher of sake and filled her glass to the brim.

Future-time--

"You want me to seduce Lee!" Sakura exclaimed franticly, pointing a finger at the Hokage. "Yes." Sakura stood up out of her chair, "No! I won't do it, it's wrong, it's sick! It's sick and wrong!" Tsunade's kind persuasive eyes suddenly turned into stone. "Sit down." She had a commanding tone that forced Sakura to comply.

Sakura stared defiantly; there was no way she would do something like this. Not to somebody as sweet as Lee. "Listen to yourself! You are a Konoha Medical Ninja! Not some squealing little girl. You do what it takes to help your country, to help your friend." Sakura almost felt a little ashamed of herself, she knew she shouldn't, she knew she was right, but Tsunade's demand made some sense and her tone made her feel foolish. "Why does it have to be me? Why can't somebody else do it? It just… it just feels so wrong." Sakura attempted to sway her sensei. Tsunade's eyes softened.

"Because Sakura, he is in love with you. It's not like Lee's a complete loser, Gai tells me he's been asked out before and you know what? He turned them down claiming he was in love with another woman." Sakura put her heated face into her cool hands, she felt as if she was about to cry. Was fate trying to torture her? "I understand you've just had a terrible experience with a man, but you need to set that aside. Your still a medic and Konoha still needs you."

Tsunade felt pity for the girl in front of her; she reached out a comforting hand and rested it on her shoulder. Sakura denied her tears and stood up sternly, "Fine," she told Tsunade, starring her directly in the eyes, "I'll do it." Tsunade smiled gratefully as Sakura walked out of the room. It would all work out in the long run, it always did.

* * *

a/n

Yo! I've been a bit busy with graphics for the school news paper and i havent had that much time to write, sry! Uh yeah the next chapter will be fun to write, and i hope fun to read... maybe a bit dramatic swing too. Thx for the great reviews guys, if it wasnt for them i probably wouldnt keep writing. :) Welp thats about it.


	7. ShichiNana

Thanks for the reviews guys! They really help me out!

* * *

Lee, led into an echoing chamber by Neji, sat down on a stiff wooden chair. The Hyuga stayed standing, which for some reason annoyed Lee to no end. As if he was standing to get some kind of alpha position on the argument that was sure to come. Then Neji sat down. "Where shall we start?" He said calmly, almost serenely. Lee's teeth were grounding themselves to powder; his fists gripped themselves tightly around the seat of his chair.

Neji exhaled, "You seem to be a little… tense." Lee breathed deeply, there was no way he was going to lose this ridiculous game of wits. He slowly unclamped his hands and sat them in his lap. "Is anything wrong?" Neji smirked. Lee couldn't take it anymore he was on his feet in moments, knees already bending into his familiar stance. He wouldn't stand a chance if he tried to fight Neji now; he was blind for crying out loud; but he couldn't help it, he wanted to rip the arrogant adolescent to shreds. "WHY DO YOU ALWAYS TREAT HER LIKE THAT!?"

Neji feigned confusion, "What could you possibly be talking about?" Lee took a swing in the direction of his voice, and landed face up on hard wooden floors. It took him a second to regain the wind that had been knocked out of him. He turned to his side and coughed, feeling weak. "I should warn you; if you want to fight me, I'll have to defend myself." He heard Neji chuckle and Lee brought his legs quickly underneath him in one sweeping, circular motion. Neji's legs were brought out from under him and he plummeted towards the ground, a loud thump told lee that the Hyuga had landed. Both of them panted side by side for a moment, just staring up at the ceiling. After a couple of minuets Neji sighed, "I don't hate her, I just don't like how every time she turns you down you keep going after her. It's not good for you." It was a more comfortable silence that now filled the room, soon broken by Lee. "Neji, I cannot help it. I love her."

"How do you know?"

"I can just tell, it's hard to explain. Someday you'll know what I am talking about."

Neji looked at Lee sternly, "And what makes you think I don't already know?"

Lee's eyes widened, his curiosity was at its peak. He had always thought Neji was made completely of stone. "Who?"

Neji was silent for a long time, until the point of awkwardness, and suddenly a thought hit Lee. He swallowed hard, "Uhh… Listen, Neji, I don't like gu-" A fist connected with Lee's face before he could finish his sentence. "Not you! What are you stupid or something?" Lee quickly recovered; at least he still had the endurance of a ninja. All the same, he let out a relieved sigh, "Thank god. So then, who is it?" Neji abruptly stood up, "Lee it's getting late, I think it's time for you to leave. Meet me here again next Wednesday at eight o'clock sharp, and please don't be late this time."

* * *

The next day (after Lee finally found his way home)

Sakura knocked on Ino's door, it was around ten in the morning. She needed somebody to confide in, especially someone who knew as much about the opposite sex as Ino did. The door creaked open and a disheveled blond appeared in the doorway. For a second Sakura thought she might have knocked on the wrong house. Ino's hair was in a messy bun and she practically had to grab the wall to hold herself up.

Sakura quickly leaned in to support her. "Are you feeling okay?" Ino responded by throwing up all over Sakura's shirt. Sakura almost dropped her friend onto the ground and left, but resisted the urge. "I'm sorry." Ino said with a quiet voice, "I don't feel that great." Sakura could barely hear her, her words blended into one long groan. "We need to get you back into bed, have you been drinking or something?"

Sakura half carried half dragged Ino's weak form back up the stairs. "No" she moaned, " I ate some pickled herring last night, I think I might have food poisoning." Sakura wrinkled her nose. "What kind of person eats pickled herring? Were you honestly expecting not to get sick?" Ino moaned "I know I'm an idiot, I just felt like trying something new." They finally reached the top of the stairs, Sakura was panting, and Ino was laid back into her bed.

"You can use my shower, the towels are to the right of the bathroom and the hot water is really hard to turn. I'm really sorry Sakura, but I'm so glad you're here." Sakura sighed; she was talking a lot for a girl who had just barfed all over the place. "It's okay, do you mind if I borrow some clothes?" Ino shook her head and fell back into her pillow fortress with a poof. Okay… Sakura took that as a no and grabbed out the most comfortable clothes she could find.

* * *

After the shower

Sakura sat in an armchair next to Ino's bed with a large blanket wrapped around her body, she was telling Ino about Lee going blind, and how Tsunade was going to make her 'revive' his sight. She left out a few traumatizing details of course, like Sasuke. Ino gasped, "They can order you to do that? That's so wrong!" Ino grabbed her stomach in pain, then let go as if nothing happened. Sakura nodded her head in agreement and murmured, "I know."

"So what are you going to do?"

"My mission."

"How?"

"I don't know. I've never been really good with guys."

"I know what to do."

"Will you help me?"

"Of course."

The two women plotted their plan of action together, in a plush quarantine. The blinds were pulled down tightly, as if to add to the impishness of their deed.

Sakura left her friend's house with a insecure look on her face. It was time to initiate part 1 of the plan.

* * *

Sorry for not uploading sooner, i've been grounded for bad LA grades... I have this weird thing where if somethings not challenging i wont do it... and they treat us like elemetry kids in that class, i cant take it anymore! I'll try to upload again really soon, and i actually have a plot line stored in my head so yay for that. Reviews keep me working by the way :)


	8. Hachi

**Yo! This chapter's dedicated to any seniors graduating this year (sorry if I got you senior citizens excited... okay fine it's dedicated to you too :P)!!**

Lee kneeled on the floor and lowered himself into a push up position. He needed to stay in shape, how else was he going to be able to take down Sasuke? His dark eyes squinted in an attempt to see the carpet, might as well try to see again while he was at it.

After one hundred some pushups Lee's shirt was sticking to his torso and his dripping hair resembled a mop. He was getting overheated so he sat up and pulled off his T-shirt, threw it into a random corner of the room, and started on sit-ups.

Sakura stood anxiously outside Lee's door. What if he had lost interest in her? It was definitely a possibility. He had stopped saying I love you about a year ago. Did that mean he was over her? Silence rang in her ears like a siren. Her chest heaved with calming breaths and her blood kept pace with her heart's quick pounding. She raised her fist and about knocked on the door, but drew her hand back quickly. What was she so afraid of? Sakura was ashamed of herself. She was a ninja! She had fought and beaten people that had far outranked herself. What was stopping her from this simple task?

Sakura thrust her hand against the door before she lost the nerve.

No answer, she should probably go home, maybe he wasn't ther-

The door opened and the pink haired konoichi almost fell over. A ripped abdomen was the first thing she saw. Sweat trickled down the groves between his muscles oh so slowly; it hypnotized Sakura like a metronome. She felt a tingling of lust all over her body; maybe this mission wasn't going to be so bad after all. She wanted to touch him, to see if his chest was really as hard as it looked. She reached her fingers out in a daze but was interrupted by a cough. She automatically snapped out of her trance and her hand shot back to her side. What was she thinking? No duh Lee had a nice body; he trained all of the time. Suddenly she felt a little self-conscious, what if she wasn't good enough for him anymore? Maybe that's the real reason he had quit chasing after her like a lost puppy. Sakura's heart started to turn into an ice cube and she shrunk away from Lee's attractive body. "Who's there?" Lee asked cautiously. Sakura's gaze lifted to his stubbly face. "Umm, hi Lee. It's Sakura."

Lee's forehead creased, something wasn't right. He couldn't figure it out. "Hello Sakura." He stated firmly. Was it her voice? No, that wasn't it. Why had she come to see him? "I was not expecting you Sakura. I am sorry for my repulsive appearance, I was just in the middle of training." Lee's voice went on Auto-Pilate while he inwardly tried to solve the mystery. Sakura put her hands up in front of her, "No, don't worry about it Lee! You look sexy!" Sakura's hand covered her mouth, it was too late, there was no way she could bring those words back now. She thought without truly thinking, "I mean flexi! Have you been working out? 'Cause your muscles look really… flexi…"

Wow… Sakura allowed herself to go off into a daydream, anything to escape this pitiful situation.

People snapped photos and laughed together. A crowd was droning on and on in a continuous criticizing mummer while Sakura paraded down a long red carpet. A mustached reporter pushed himself out of the crowd and held a pen and paper eagerly. He leaned in closely to the pink haired teen and listened as if she were a god. The reporter sniffled and rubbed his runny nose, "So how does it feel to get the Most Incompetent Girl In The World award?" Sakura looked at him, startled. She sighed, figures…

"Uhh, Thanks Sakura, I guess." Sakura reluctantly snapped out of her daydream. Lee looked confused, but pleased with himself. Sakura chuckled, had he really just believed she thought he was _flexi_? The pleasure drifted out of his face when she had laughed, but the confusion was still there. "What?" He asked, his arm moved from his side to behind his head. Sakura answered quickly, too quickly for Lee to remain comfortable, "Nothing!"

Lee immediately thought of anything that might be wrong with him.

"I'm sorry if I am sweaty, I would take a shower but that's not proper etiquette when you have a guest over."

Sakura hesitated before speaking; she didn't want to make a fool of herself again. What would Ino do?

"Maybe I should take a shower with you."

"Excuse me?!" This question was purely out of shock; the look that crossed Lee's features told her he had heard every word. A blush lit up his face in the semi-dark hallway, but it wasn't as bad as Sakura's. Ino had told her that since Lee was blind she couldn't use her looks to get him to fall for her; of course she had already had that figured out. The problem was that most guys were sight orientated, therefore making her mission a bit more difficult. Ino had suggested using words and then, when the time was right, physical contact. This is where her blonde friend's suggestions had gotten her.

Poor Lee couldn't take it much longer. Dirty thoughts clouded his teenage mind. It pretty much went like this.

Sakura, naked, Sakura, shower, water, dripping, naked, Sakura, Sakura, Sakura, with him, naked. Overload.

A small sliver of blood trickled out of his nose and he turned away from the woman before him.

Sakura saw a drop of blood on the floor, so it had actually worked? Maybe there was hope for this operation yet. Suddenly she felt extremely devious. She leaned over his bare back, brushing her entire frame against him. She feigned an innocent and concerned voice, "Oh, are you okay? You're bleeding!" Sakura gasped with a sly smile stamped on her face. Lee felt his knees start to give way, why was he thinking like this? He wanted to rush her into his shower and do the naughtiest things he could think of to her. They weren't even married! Plus, it didn't feel like Sakura; she wasn't the kind of person who normally acted like this.

Suddenly an image of Sakura with Sasuke on top of her flashed into his mind. He felt a pang of guilt and shrugged Sakura off of his back.

"I am sorry Sakura but I really need to go wash up." He told her, still facing the opposite direction. Sakura's grin disappeared when Lee's darkened disposition radiated into her. She took a cautious step back. "I-I can just wait here if you want." Lee mumbled, "Why are you waiting for me? What did you come here for?"

Sakura gave up all attempts to seduce him for the moment; he seemed troubled. "I wanted to ask you something, but it can wait. Don't worry about it." She moved an unsteady hand towards and laid it on his stiff shoulder. Angry men scared her a lot more than they used too. "Lee, whatever you're worried about, it's gonna be okay." Lee turned around and hugged her. Sakura blushed.

Yo people! I just want you all to know that I will never ever ever discontinue a story (except if I stop getting reviews, then i'll know it sucks) so you don't have to worry about that. :) Thanks for the wonderful reviews! Sry if you guys thought this chapter wasn't dramatic enough, i didn't take my meds today but I made a vow to upload another chapter. If you don't think it's good enough tell me and I'll rewrite it or something. Oh! And if you can guess the title of the next chapter then i'll totally dedicate it to you :)


	9. Kyuu

I wish I could tell you guys I havent updated for such a long time because i have alot of hw, or that my town (in iowa) was flooded, or that something terrible has happend. But these are only factors. The true reason is something that no matter how hard I tried I just couldnt get over, and its not good enough of an excuss. I had... severe writers block. And it was evil. Im offering you my deepest apologies and from now on i'm going to try to update once a week. There's no excuss for making you guys wait this long for another chapter.

By the way, this chapter is dedicated to murai-sakura, and CRBWins for guessing the title of this chapter correctly ^^

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Sakura sat on the couch and listened to the squeaking of the shower faucet, Lee had given into his need for hygiene over politeness. Well, at least until Sakura told him that she honestly didn't mind. Lee always thought too much about being polite.

She looked around at the white walls, light wood flooring, and sparse paintings. All in all his house was pretty barren. But for some strange reason she didn't mind, it had a comforting simplicity to it, much different from the empty dungeon Neji lived in.

Sakura started to tap her leg on the ground. The unfamiliar silence buzzed in her ears and she started to feel a bit out of place. She began to hum an old lullaby, and it drowned out the silence. When she didn't hear from Lee for five minuets she started to hum a little louder, tapping her fingers on her legs to the beat.

Another five minuets passed and she was singing softly. She was so intent on making the waiting pass faster that she forgot who she was waiting for. She didn't even notice when the water stopped rushing and the faucet squeaked off. Seconds passed with no noise but Sakura's voice. Lee emerged from the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel. Sakura's voice cracked off key.

Lee chuckled, "Did I scare you?"

Sakura paled, then blushed. The only thing she was scared of right now was the highly probable risk of a heart attack. It wasn't fair that he could have this kind of an effect on her. If she could do that to him then this mission wouldn't be half as difficult. She tried to look away from his perfect body, but from the start she new she didn't have the willpower.

Her mind came up with excuses, why did it matter if she looked? Guys checked girls out all the time, and it wasn't like she was embarrassing him or herself because Lee couldn't see her reaction to him anyways.

"Sakura?" Lee was looking at her, but not seeing her. "Are you okay? I did not really mean to scare you."

Sakura's eyes widened briefly, how long had they been sitting in silence?

"Oh, Lee you didn't scare me. You just kind of caught me off guard."

"Oh." Lee's body visibly relaxed. Sakura forced herself not to stare this time, whether he was blind or not she was no pervert. More awkward silence.

"You have a beautiful voice." Lee said quietly. Sakura's face could be compared to a cherry, if a cherry had two wide, startled green eyes. Her lashes met and she looked down into her lap. She was starting to get a little tired of being embarrassed in front of Lee.

"Sorry, it's just that-" She started, but was cut off by the shirtless boy in front of her.

"Don't be, I was complimenting you Sakura, not chiding. If anything I should be sorry for listening to you without your permission. But you really do, I couldn't help but hear." Lee grinned in earnest. "So what did you come here to talk about anyways?"

It dawned on Sakura that she had completely forgotten about her mission. "Oh, well, um. I was, um." Wow this was turning out right… she sounded about as confident as Hinata. She cleared her throat, "I was wondering if, maybe, you wanted to go out to dinner with me?" Sakura had to force herself not to tap her index fingers together. She risked a glance up at Lee, who looked so startled it was almost painful. He took a subconscious step backwards, as if she were venomous.

"Wait. You want to go to dinner with Me?" Lee's face was so many emotions blurred together that it was impossible to decipher. Suddenly he started laughing in a foreign, harsh laughter she had never heard before.

Sakura had never felt so rejected in her life.

It was hard to say which was clenched the hardest. Her fists, her jaw, or her heart? Her nails dug into her skin so hard blood was beginning to pool around her fingers. Her teeth were grindstones. And her heart strings had tightened into nooses. What gave him the right to laugh at her like that? Since when had Lee become such a jerk? Her pupils were starting to get flooded. She couldn't endure this ridicule much longer.

She stood rigidly and rushed for the door.

Lee heard the door slam and his smile faltered. "Sakura?" He called to an empty room. No duh, she had obviously left. But why? After all, wasn't She the one messing with Him? He had tried to laugh over his heartache. I mean friends joke around like that right? He didn't want her to feel awkward that he didn't exactly 'get' her prank. But why would she leave like that?

Unless… unless she had actually meant it.

She couldn't have actually meant it. Girls like weren't interested in guys like him, things like this only occur in dreams and ironic comedies. But there was no other explanation, and if there was he couldn't think of it. Lee rushed into his room and threw on some clothes. He had to talk to Sakura.


	10. Jyuu

Sakura walked briskly down the hallway, her teeth clenched as she willed her tears from falling. She knew it was useless, it seemed her tear ducts were beginning to adjust to crying as a daily routine. One small tear overflowed from the corner of her eye, it was just the right amount to destroy her makeshift dam, sadness overrode her willpower, and soon it was trickling down her face in waterfalls. She growled as she increased her pace.

Who cared if she cried anyways? She had every right to! The intense emotion inside her was not being helped by her own thoughts egging themselves on. Soon, thoughts and emotions that she had been trying lock away and ignore were adding themselves into the mix. Sakura hoped she didn't run into anyone on the way home, for their own sake.

In the state she was in now she wouldn't be able to dissuade herself from verbally attacking them on the spot.

Why did all these bad things keep happening?

Why couldn't fate run it's sick experiments on somebody else?

Why did Sasuke have to choose her?

There had been plenty of others, women who weren't as prude as she was, who would gladly give themselves to him. Yet he had come all the way back to Konoha from who knows where just for her. Where was the sense in that?!? Maybe he finally realized that when he left he broke her heart, just her heart, and now he had come back to break whatever she had left. Well it had worked. She was nothing compared to the ninja she used to be, jumping at her own shadow like a scared rabbit. It was pathetic.

Even Lee thought she was insane! She had been sure that if anybody would still accept her after… after what had happened, it would have been him. He had always been so kind, always been there for her when she needed somebody. She dragged her sleeve over her eyes, roughly wiping away her tears.

It's not even that he rejected her! Sure. It hurt. A lot. But she was used to hurt. This was something else entirely. Lee had never once been cruel to her before. How could he have suddenly laughed in her face like that? He had comforted her when she was completely hopeless, stood up for her when nobody else had, and now he thought she was some kind of joke. She had known it would only be a matter of time before he came to his senses, and finally saw her for what she was. But it had been so abrupt. And now she was on her own.

Her heart sent aches throughout her body, growing a shell that felt like emotional teething.

Sakura missed the first step on the stairs, jerking her out her thoughts. The only thing that saved her from a nasty fall was reflex; she couldn't bring herself to care at the moment. With the throbbing pain she was feeling in her chest, breaking a few bones on the stairs wouldn't even register, and the void of unconsciousness would be happily welcomed.

She took a deep breath. It was probably best to avoid self-destructive thoughts when she was as frustrated as she was right now. It'll all be okay, she told herself, it'd get better. Every cloud has a silver lining right?

But what good is a silver lining when you're being sucked up by a tornado? Fuck the deep thoughts people create when they see beauty in something horrible. What good are deep thoughts when you're going through hell? Sakura's hand clenched her chest. There was no beauty in this kind of situation. There's nothing but pain.

Lee didn't bother closing the door behind him before dashing into the hallway. He was faced with a choice, should he go left or right? The hallway stretched in either direction. He quickly turned left. That was the shortest hallway so she must have gone that way, unless she was too mad at him to think about such things. He bit his lip, he must have seemed like the biggest prick in the world.

He ran faster, the hallway was a straight shot so he wouldn't have to worry about any sharp turns. Of course, he would have to watch out for the stair- Shit!

Lee flew off the top of the stairs like, like a blind fool who shouldn't be sprinting off the top of the stairs. As he fell through the air he had never wanted to use chakra more in his life. If not to help him catch himself then to at least help him locate when he would be making contact with the ground, or more stairs. He shouted something incomprehensible when his forearms, extended to break his fall, connected with something soft and warm.

His shout was echoed back at him in a higher pitch and he realized that he was probably about to kill somebody. Both Lee and that special someone crumbled in whatever way gravity thought best.

Together he and the victim tobogganed downward, them getting most of the blow due to the jutting stairs. It was happening so fast that all Lee could do was try to stay conscious so he could get whomever he was on top of to a medic as soon as possible.

Even that seemed a bit farfetched of a goal at the moment. Maybe he should focus on trying not to sustain life-threatening injuries.

His brain felt like it was banging on the sides of his head and clear thinking was becoming almost unattainable. He could feel his body start to numb and slip away from him with dizziness. No! He wasn't going to let himself lose consciousness. Just as Lee was at his limit he felt one last hard thump on the ground and they slid to a stop.

It took him a second to get himself used to not moving and even though he was on his hands and knees he was finding it difficult not to fall over, or vomit on the unmoving person beneath him. He forced himself through it; it was his fault if this person was injured, and his duty to help them if they were.

He put his ear near their mouth and listened to see if they were still breathing. He waited.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five seconds.

Nothing.

Lee stayed calm; he was trained to handle this kind of situation. Well, not the EXACT situation. Ninjas were hardly expected to fall down the stairs, but nevertheless, he knew how to handle a situation in which a teammate (or random person in the hallway…) couldn't regain their breath on their own.

He had gone over the procedure step by step time and time again. Now he had to try it for real. Just follow the steps. He briefed them to himself in his head.

**Step one**: _**Tilt victim's head back slightly to open the airway. Put upward pressure on their jaw to pull it forward.**_

Okay, now he had to find their head. He maneuvered his hands gingerly over their body to see what position they were in. He felt a long flat surface, which must be their abdomen. His hands slid upwards and he couldn't help but blush when he felt the victim's breasts, the blood in his cheeks quickly left his face when he visibly paled. It was a girl.

He moved his hands up her neck, then her jaw. He briefly touched her face and his hair stood on end. It was Sakura; those soft lips had engraved themselves into his memory long ago. He took a deep breath that reminded him she still wasn't breathing. He hurried to tilt her jaw upwards. Step by step, he could do this; she was going to be okay. His panicked mind immediately sought familiarity. What would Gai Sensei do?

If I just killed Sakura then I will do one million laps around Konoha, without using my legs!

Lee shook the thoughts out of his head, they weren't helping anything. He had to follow the steps.

**Step two**: _**Pinch the nostrils closed with thumb and index finger. **_

He brushed a stray hair out of the way as he secured her nasal passage.

**Step Three:** _**Place your mouth tightly over the victim's mouth. Blow two quick breaths and watch for the victim's chest to rise.**_

Lee tried to exhale any of the oxygen poor air already in his body and took a deep breath of clean air to replace it. Her light perfume was like food to the guilt in his chest. He leaned in until he was inches away, making sure his mouth was right above hers by brushing her lips with his free hand. His heart beat erratically even as he told himself that this wasn't a romantic situation.

He realized it was idiotic, but apparently his heart wasn't sensitive to logic. He finally closed the gap between their mouths and blew exactly two quick breaths. His free hand slid over her chest to feel for any kind of movement. Nothing.

**Step Four: **_**Repeat.**_

He quickly inhaled fresh air and repeated the process. Still nothing. Lee's heart acquired another reason to hammer blood into his veins. He wasn't going to let Sakura die. He breathed in with the intention of calming himself but used it instead to pump the much-needed oxygen into Sakura's lungs.

Finally, he felt her head turn to the side and he pulled back as she coughed breath back into her body. He cautiously listened for any signs of discomfort, ready to intervene again if necessary.

He didn't expect that he would be needed again, but he really didn't expect what happened next.

Sakura's fist connected with his face.

His nose snapped to the side and a cracking noise resonated throughout the silence. Shock made him forget to feel the pain. All he felt was confusion, and the blood trickling out of his nose.

"GET OFF OF ME!" Sakura yelled at the top of her lungs, shattering the silence, "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE!" Her temper fueled a burning rage throughout her body. What was wrong with him! What kind of jerk pushed someone down the stairs? He had no right to keep hurting her like this, no matter who he was. The extent of her emotion was visible on her face, if only he wasn't blind, her glare could've killed him.

He was still on top of her. Looking stricken with wide eyes and a bloody nose. She felt no remorse, and he wasn't making any movement to get off of her, she reached out to strike him again. Lee grunted when her fist made contact with his chest. It seemed to have knocked some sense back into him, his expression turned once again unreadable with a mixture of emotions.

It reminded her of just before he had started laughing at her back in his apartment, her hand seemed to take on a life of its own. A life dedicated to causing Lee as much pain as he put her though.

This time he was ready for her and instinctively grabbed her wrist just before she could hit him again. She snarled and recklessly aimed her free hand for his stomach, which he caught just as he had with her other. He wasn't a Taijutsu specialist for nothing.

Lee pushed her wrists down and held them steady on either side of her head. She had a powerful punch, he was lucky she hadn't packed it with chakra first or he'd probably, no, definitely be dead. If he didn't restrain her while he had the chance then he wouldn't live long enough to explain the situation, a blind man against her didn't have a chance. Hell, a normal man against her didn't have a chance, unless he caught her off guard, or unable to control herself. Which is what he had been forced to do.

Sakura struggled against his hold, he was stronger, and it was as simple as that. Maybe she could get loose if she used chakra, but he had her pinned so she wouldn't have momentum on her side. Not to mention the fact that Lee constantly wore chakra-enhanced weights and was used to exerting more force than she could probably create.

It was worth a try. She was so pissed off at the moment that anything was worth a try. Sakura directed chakra into her arms like cool water; her frustration was like rocks jutting into its path and she had to force it around them to reach her goal. Soon she was holding as much as possible and she thrust her arms upwards to break his grip.

Her arms pushed about an inch off of the ground before Lee forced them back down. He was ready for her, he had trained more than she had, and he was stronger. Her jaw clenched tightly, the all too familiar feeling of forced submission sent a spasm of fear down her sternum. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone?

She pretended she didn't feel afraid, this was Lee, and he wouldn't do anything to her, right?

She couldn't help but remind herself that she had misread him before. She breathed in and out to calm herself, but failed. The cage she had built around her fear suddenly broke open and bolts of terror shot up and down her body like lightning. Her slow, calmed, breathing transformed into quick panicked breaths. She began to go frantic and felt herself succumb to irrational thought.

Lee immediately noticed the change, she wasn't just angry anymore. This was something else entirely. She was scared.

She was scared of him.

Sakura had started to kick and punch at him, using her chakra in random bursts. Lee had to assure her that he wasn't going to hurt her before he let go, or who knows how she would react? If he couldn't calm her down it would end with his death.

He kept her wrists securely between his palms and the ground, the rest of her body was held under his. He couldn't stop the thoughts in his mind comparing what he was doing now to what Sasuke had done… then. He tried to ignore a sickened churning in his stomach. He would never hurt her on purpose, not if his life depended on it. Anger rose at the thought of Sasuke, which he quickly suppressed remembering the incident in the alleyway.

The pink haired kunoichi seem desperate, as if her life was on the line. He could tell by the intensity of her struggling.

Lee whispered anything soothing that came to his mind to calm her down. "Sakura, it's okay, I'm not going to hurt you." He used a steady voice even though his muscles were tense from the straining needed to keep her down.

"Please Sakura, listen to me, you need to calm down before I can let you go." Sakura's body rose and shook with a sob that shattered his heart. He was half tempted to get off of her and let her do what she would. However, he wasn't stupid, she was frightened, and people did crazy things when they were frightened.

She was openly crying now, and only trying to break free when her body wasn't ridden with tremors. Lee tried talking to her again, "I'm sorry Sakura, I promise I wont hurt you, please try to calm down." His voice seemed to cause more panic because her sobs grew harder. She wasn't packing very much chakra into her movements anymore, maybe she was running out?

Lee supposed that was a good thing, maybe he could let her go when she ran out, if she couldn't come to her senses by then. Lee tried to decipher the words she cried out with a voice like breaking glass, then wished he hadn't, the shards of them landed right in his heart, "Please don't do this." They were disjointed between unintelligible whimpers, "Not again."

His face paled, so that's why she was acting like this. She thought he was going to take advantage of her.

She thought he was going to… rape her?

He swallowed even though his throat was dry. She must be reliving the same emotions she had felt with Sasuke. He once again forced the anger from thinking Sasuke's name back down into the deep dark pit it had been spawned from. "Shhh, Shhh, Sakura you know me, I'm Lee, you know I would never do anything to harm you. Bushy Brows remember? Please Sakura, just relax and I can let you go."

Sakura's arm twitched upwards, as if trying to escape one last time, and then she stopped. Her sobs, however, continued. Lee couldn't tell if she had run out of chakra or if he had gotten through to her. Either way he finally let go of her wrists and fell over heavily beside her. Sakura immediately pulled her arms in close to her abdomen and turned away from him. Her knees rose to her chin and her body curled into an impenetrable fortress.

Lee thought it was best if he left her alone for a while, to compose herself. He needed to compose himself also. He focused on the blood still pouring from his nose, then he wouldn't have to focus on the fact that Sakura thought he was a monster.

He slowly put his thumbs on either side of the bridge, took a deep breath, and quickly pushed them towards each other, snapping the broken bone back into place. He had done this before, a few times, but the pain always seemed new to him. He reveled in it, avoiding thought at all costs.

Fifteen minuets passed with nothing but the sound of her muffled cries. Fifteen minuets slowly turned into twenty, which turned to thirty. Lee started to feel that her nonstop sobs were karma's way of punishing him, each one cut deep into his soul, her sadness brought him overwhelming guilt.

Lee forgot how much time had passed by when he finally heard her sobs die down into sniffles. He waited quietly, even after her sniffles faded into silence.

The silence was packed with caution, not like the strangling silence you normally experience when you're with another person, but like the silence that occurs after a rather large tornado devastates your neighborhood, and you find out that you're the only one left alive.

Sakura couldn't think of anything to say, logic always seems to run away when something frightening occurs. What words could possibly describe what she was feeling right now? What was she even feeling? Sad? No, she wasn't sad. Deceived? She hadn't even been tricked. Self-Disgust? Who would even think Lee would be capable of harming a friend? That still wasn't it. It was like an emotional mess made from every feeling she had ever known

She lifted her head from her knees and peered around at the man behind her. He hadn't moved an inch. His face was covered in blood, had she done that? Somewhere deep down inside of her a spark of pride lit up the darkness. It was quickly smothered by a wave of guilt. He hadn't really been trying to hurt her, had he? He could have easily done something by now if he wanted to, and hadn't. Sakura had let her anger and fear get the best of her, she could only imagine what Tsunade would have to say about it if she found out.

Lee seemed to notice she was looking at him, he stiffened. Then his body relaxed with difficulty, as if trying to make himself seem as un-intimidating as possible. Sakura's face softened, he thought she was going to spaz out on him again. She hadn't forgiven him for laughing at her proposal, but she still felt the need to apologize for her uncalled for actions.

Sakura got onto her knees and turned her entire body towards him. She held out her hands and moved them gingerly towards his face. Lee's hand twitched, wondering Sakura's intentions, and then relaxed. If she was trying to hurt him then he would already be injured.

Sakura's hands made a cup gently around his nose. She focused all of the chakra that she had regained since trying to attack Lee into healing him. Cartilage regrew and muscle reattached itself within a blue glow. Lee's eyes briefly widened at the feeling, but once again he forced himself to relax.

The glow disappeared and Sakura stood up. Lee started to stand and Sakura went towards the exit. He heard the door click open. She was almost gone. He needed to explain himself and shouted his request, "Wait!"

No click. She hadn't left yet. Sakura looked at him from the doorway but he couldn't see the quizzical expression on her face. Couldn't he just let her go with whatever dignity she had left?

"I did not laugh because I don't want to go on a date with you! Only because I thought you were joking and didn't know what else to do!" Lee was leaving himself completely out in the open, reveling everything he truly thought. The fact that this could end terribly and that he was relying souly on his courage gave him a rush and he decided to continue,

"Of course I want to go on a date with you Sakura! How could you think otherwise? I thought you knew how much I like you." Lee just barely managed to get a hold of himself before he said love instead of like, saying too much too fast would scare her off again.

Sakura flinched at the word like. It was impossible for Lee to see it. Was he not in love with her anymore?

Either way, he didn't hate her, so she still had a shot. Sakura wasn't sure if by shot she meant the mission, or, well, getting him to return her feelings. That was the height of her thoughts right now, Lee saying that he wanted to go on a date with her swept her mind blank.

Lee waited in silence for her response, but she wasn't answering. Maybe she was thinking about how to reject him, had she been messing with him the entire time? She had thought he was going to hurt her, was she still afraid of him? No, he wasn't going to let her go that easily. It was time to try a different, more direct approach.

Lee got down on his knees and balanced his torso on his knuckles in a graceful bow. "Sakura Haruno, will you please go out with me?"

Sakura's jaw fell open, this was her first glimpse of the old Lee that she had seen in a long time, and once again she felt shocked, yet flattered. She let the door close behind her.

Lee heard the door click shut. She had left him. She didn't even give him an answer. He leaned back onto his knees, crestfallen. Why did he have to go and do that? It hadn't worked five years ago and it sure wouldn't work now! Why did he always make such stupid mistakes!?!

Lee sighed, there was no point beating himself up. He had been alone this long; at least he knew he could survive.

His hair stood on end when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He was to deep in thought to notice someone sneaking up on him. If it was an enemy ninja than he could consider himself dead. His pulse sped up in anticipation of the fatal blow.

It never came.

Lee furrowed his brow when he felt his enemy lean over him from behind. He had never learned this sneak attack before. Why didn't they just use a basic neck breaking technique?

Lee caught a whiff of a familiar perfume. He felt light breaths rolling down the side of his neck. Ironically his heart beat faster than when he thought he was going to be murdered. Sakura's lips brushed briefly against his cheek. She moved her mouth back to his ear and whispered so that he would be forced to listen carefully to hear what she had to say.

"Of course I'll go on a date with you."

Lee's heart stopped. So she was trying to kill him after all?

Sakura couldn't believe how hard Lee was blushing; at least she knew he found her attractive.

Lee opened his mouth to speak but he couldn't think of anything to say.

"Uhh, Sakura chan."

Any thoughts he had were incoherent and impossible to turn into words. He wished he had what it takes to act cool when something like this actually happened, like a guy in a movie or a book. Sakura's breath stopped brushing his ear, thus allowing some flow of thoughts back into his brain. She let her hand slide from his shoulder to his hand and helped him stand up.

Lee tried to pretend he was more confident than he actually was by saying what he thought a normal cool teenager would say after being accepted on a date, "So… I'll stop by around 8:00?"

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. He was trying so hard! The blush on his face gave him away completely.

Lee tried to stay cool, calm and collected. It really did hurt when you get laughed at after you asked someone out. Now he knew how Sakura had felt earlier.

Sakura noticed his furrowed brow and grinned, "That sounds great." Her coolness compared to his was like a blizzard in comparison to an ice-cube. Lee smiled, it had worked!

"Alright, well, I be at my place okay?"

"Yeah, I guess I'll see you later."

Sakura leaned in and gave him a quick hug, then let go of his hand, which she had forgotten she was still holding.

"Goodbye." Sakura waved before she went out the door.

"Bye." Lee responded just as the door clicked shut.

They were going on a date. Sakura Haruno was going on a date with HIM!

"YES!!!" Lee jumped as high as he could, punching the air. He turned and ran up the stairs back to his room, randomly jumping in conquest. It wasn't until he got into his living room that reality actually reached his brain.

Sakura… and him were going on a date. Lee's smile disappeared. What did people do on dates? What would he say!?! Lee panicked; he needed to talk to someone. He grabbed his phone and called Neji.

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**

Uhhh, yeah. I don't have an excuse. I should've updated sooner. It took a lot longer than I had originally thought, as is plain to see. Yet, there is an upside to this late update, I managed to make it ten times longer than it was when I updated it the first time. I'm going to

_**try**_** to update more frequently but I can't make any promises, mainly because if I make promises and break them, it takes me that much more time to finally get over my guilt and anticipation of the flames I will receive when I could be writing the next chapter. **

**My only promise, which you can be completely confident in so help me… Kakashi Sensei, is that I will never stop writing a story before I finish it. Well, unless I die… but ill try to make sure someone notifies you if that does indeed happen.**

**I know a lot of you are angry at me for keeping you waiting this long, but I guess I'm just going to have to deal with it. I have no argument within me that can counter your frustration; I just hope that this chapter was worth your wait. **

**-Sunnyspider**


	11. JyuuIchi

Sakura let her apartment door slam behind her and rushed to the telephone. She glanced at the clock, it was 6:00, which meant she had only two hours until Lee came to take her out on their date. She dialed Ino's number quickly.

Two hours was a long enough time when it came to getting ready, but if all went well tonight it would be the first time Lee has seen her since he lost his vision. She wanted to look drop dead gorgeous, and that was a job involving teamwork.

As soon as Ino knocked on the door she was swept inside by a nervous and frazzled Sakura. "Where have you been? It's already 6:30!" Sakura felt extremely rushed. Ino took a step back and regarded her friend with a smirk. When it came to missions Sakura was hardly ever this diligent and demanding, but when it came to boys... lets just say that Ino could see a subtle facial twitch.

She walked passed her anxious friend and into Sakura's bedroom, leaving the pink haired Kunoichi's mouth open, gaping in the effort to tell Ino off. Sakura then took a deep breath, shrugged, and followed her, did she really expect anything else?

Sakura watched in awe as Ino took stock of every article of clothing she owned. She had managed to turn up a few outfits that Sakura didn't even know she had. Including a shirt that looked as if it belonged to a rotund midget clown. After being made fun of for about the fifth time Sakura diverted Ino's attention elsewhere, snuck up behind her, grabbed the shirt off the floor, then finally tossed the spotted frilly disgrace into her hamper while grinning, the perks of being a ninja.

Ino grabbed one piece of clothing after the other, throwing them into a pile behind her with dramatic swoops of her arms. Suddenly Ino froze in her tracks. She had finally found it. After all the searching, all that pining, she had finally found the outfit. It was a soft, green, V necked dress that would not only make Sakura's eyes pop, but her average breasts would look like they were size D.

"Um, Ino," Sakura interjected with a pointed index finger as her friends eyes sparkled, "You gave me that last year."

Ino met Sakura's eyes with a large smile, "No wonder it's the hottest thing you own."

Lee needed some dating advice. He had two males he could ask, Gai Sensei or Neji. He chuckled when he thought about his sensei on a date.

When Lee was twelve he believed that Gai could get any female he wanted, however his teacher was too focused on training for silly things like romance. Now he knew differently, Gai was an expert trainer and coach, but a lady killer he was not. Unless the lady was an enemy ninja and the word killer was taken in a literal sense. Thus Lee had no choice but to take another visit to Neji's mansion.

Neji looked at his friend with amusement, he wondered if he knew that he was wearing a purple sweater. He kept his laughing inside his head, and escorted Lee inside.

"So I see you've accepted a date? Finally gotten over Sakura?" Neji was talking to Lee over his shoulder as he walked towards his office. Lee felt guilty, he had left that part out when he had called Neji earlier. He grunted in response, that wasn't exactly a lie was it? He was just letting Neji think what he wanted to.

Lee walked deeper into the chilly abode, focusing on following the sound of Neji's foot steps, it was like a form of meditation. "So who is it?" Neji finally asked, Lee was normally hard to shut up, and now that he actually had something other than fighting or squirrels to talk about it was as if his lips were zipped together.

Lee shrugged, "It's just a friend." Neji turned around and faced Lee in the narrow hallway, he could tell he was keeping something from him, it didn't take any special Hyuga traits to figure out that much.

His eyes narrowed "Who are you going on a date with and why are you exerting so much effort in trying to keep it a secret?" The only reason Neji could possibly think of was that Lee thought it would upset him, did he have a date with a missing nin or something? Suddenly a thought occurred to him, what if Lee was dating someone that he himself was completely enamored with. Panic shot up his spine and electrocuted his brain, but he didn't show it. He could control his emotions, he didn't even know if he was correct or not.

Lee was stuck, in all of ten seconds his brain wrote off numerous possibilities to Neji's question. He could claim that Ino had asked him, but Neji knew that she was way to stuck up to go for someone like himself. Maybe Hinata? There was absolutely no way that would work, all Hyuga's within a hundred mile radius would be alerted if their heir to the throne was pursuing a romance, Neji would be able to spot that lie as easy as a ninja in a bright orange jumpsuit.

Neji was an expert at mind games but Lee had to try, if his friend knew that he was planning on going on a date with Sakura then he might not give him any advice, maybe he would tell him the truth if he ever decided to get married to her... "It's Tenten. She asked me out and I said yes, she's pretty and smart so I decided to give it a try."

Neji's insides lurched at a ninety degree angle. Pretty and smart? Is that really how Lee had described her? She was absolutely stunning! And as far as her Intellectual capacity went, she was one of Konoha's brightest!

Neji had never had to deal with this before, the girl he loved was interested in someone else. He gripped his chest, it felt like it was about to implode and his mind cycled dark thoughts. Why hadn't he just made a move earlier? All those nights of late training and bandaging each others wounds, all those chances. He felt angry that he had let every single damned one of them slip by. He was angry at himself, but he targeted all of it towards Lee. So this is how it feels to be rejected, to know that the woman you love is interested in another. It hurt.

Lee could not view any of this internal struggle, he could not even read his friend's expression. He absentmindedly tried to break the silence, which to him didn't feel awkward at all, "So will you give me some advice? I really like her and I want to make sure this date goes well." Lee smiled as earnestly as he dared and swung his arms to and fro, trying to make himself look like an innocent child.

Neji and Lee had always had a rivalry. Since they were children they had each tried to get the upper hand. It was only natural that Lee had chosen Tenten as a potential mate, the person that Neji loved more dearly than anything, even his family's honor. Neji thought of it as another challenge, a challenge that he could not lose.

An idea of pure genius occurred to him, "Sure Lee I'll give you some advice, I'm just glad that you finally decided to move on from Sakura." Neji faked a chipper tone, his acting should have won him some kind of award. This was going to be interesting.

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**Hey I'm not dead... but I'm sure if any of you knew my address i would be lol. I've finally, after about a years silence, begun working on this story again. If any of you are still even a tiny bit interested I thank you for your support. I've written this chapter over four times on two different computers, but sharing my hard drive with multiple people means virus's, and that means deleting everything. Finally I decided to sit down and pump this out within a two day time frame.**

**-Sunnyspider**


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